Monthly Archives: October 2018

Adriene Cruz creates textiles to tell her story: Lost and Found, Abundant Offerings of the Spirit. Adriene explains, “As a descendant of stolen people there has always been an urgent desire to discover my place, my roots…my purpose. My place ofhealing and peace easing life’s traumas is through creativity. As a dreamer, I travel the world in my mind ….claiming places as my home and people as my own and borrow whatever appeals to me to weave into my work. Working with my hands creating art ….getting lost in the process and finding myself in the process unravels and exposes possible answers and new discoveries.The work is always a meditation,a prayer for guidance along with gratitude for blessings that allow the channel to open so that I may experience and create. Spirit guides, ancestors and angelsassist greatly. The healing power of color is the main conduit”. Her work has vibrant colors, rich textiles, sacred symbols and embellishments that offer a way to escape, transform and survive. “I’ve been blessed with wonderful friends and family who give abundantly of their life and travels much of which is included in these offerings.photo and quote were given to me by my Auntie Gloria, James Baldwin’s sister. But not at the same time, I had the photo first and 14 years later thequote … her favorite of his. I painted most of the fabric in this work including bits of African indigothat my Auntie Gloria gave me.”

FEATURE AREA

Sally Squire “Pearl Smoke” porcelain & smoke

Sally Squire focuses on ceramics for this show chiefly due to its sensuous nature. “So much of my early work was a result of bringing many disparate pieces together to create something entirely new….the sum of the parts. I find myself caressing the clay into fragile forms. This sensual and very personal process is fascinating, and I believe it has been a natural progression as I have grown comfortable in my art and my calling as an artist. In 2017, I found myself influenced by “fire” and created the smoked print series. That influence carries on in this show. I am intrigued by the ability to capture smoke, which is so transitory and fleeting, and marry it to the cool, smooth surface of porcelain. It’s ethereal nature and the tension between light and dark. The porcelain clay that I work with is imbued with paper fibers. During the firing process, the paper fibers are burned out, allowing me to create light and space; to create delicate, otherworldly pieces.The focal piece of my show if a hanging piece I call “Roberta”. As I began “Roberta”, I was starting to work through my grief and sadness, creating the flowers that my friend so loved. When I was finally finished, the piece included nearly 600 blossoms.I like to think that this piece is my final tribute to our long-time friendship.My show with Guardino Gallery is dedicated to my friend Roberta.”